Most talked-about CEOs in the year gone by

From the Murdochs to the Tatas, CEOs of the most influential companies in the world have always been in the news. The CEO’s reputation is critical for a company to remain in good health.

CARMA International, a media content analysis and communication research organisation, has developed a global performance monitor of the world’s top business leaders for Business Today.

Beginning this issue, every month BT will highlight the top CEOs who were in the news during the preceding month.

Indian CEOs in global media

Ratan Tata of Tata Group was the leading Indian CEO across the selection of global media titles. Tata was by a significant margin the most visible Indian CEO over the period— he was mentioned in 66 per cent more articles than the next most talked-about CEO, Anil Ambani.

One development that mainly propelled him out of relative obscurity and into the glare of the leading opinionforming media titles—the “Nano phenomenon”.

The most written-about CEOS Nearly 19,500 articles were written on these CEOs by 20 leading titles across the world between January and November 2008.

The impact of the US corporations on coverage was profound. Out of the Top 10 most talked-about CEOs, nine were at the helm of US-based companies. (Check the graphic)